2005/10/11 by Phillip L. Manning, D. D. Payne, John Pennicott +2 · 7 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Computer Science · #Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Optical measurement and interference techniques
paper · doi:10.1098/rsbl.2005.0395
openalex publication_date 2005/10/11 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/08
Dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaurs possess a strongly recurved, hypertrophied and hyperextensible ungual claw on pedal digit II. This feature is usually suggested to have functioned as a device for disembowelling herbivorous dinosaurs during predation. However, modelling of dromaeosaurid hindlimb function using a robotic model and comparison of pedal ungual morphology with extant analogue taxa both indicate that this distinctive claw did not function as a slashing weapon, but may have acted as an aid to prey capture.